Abstinence Pledges Need a Rewrite?

Are abstinence pledges just an evangelically correct way of saying “ass-fucking”? “Yes,” says a group of Ivy League crotch scholars. “Among virgins, boys who have pledged abstinence were four times more likely to have had anal sex…Overall, pledgers were six times more likely to have oral sex than teens who have remained abstinent but not as part of a pledge.” Dissenting opinion: the president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse, who says the 12,000 young sluts who were surveyed are liars. So, it’s a toss-up. Abstinence pledges may still be the second-best way to stop teen sex. (D&D remains the undisputed champ.) — GREG BEATO

Risks Remain for Teens Who Pledge Abstinence [AP]

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